Georgetown student newspaper reports descendants of slaves want $1 billion fund

A group of descendants of the 272 slaves sold by Georgetown University in 1838 is seeking to establish a $1 billion foundation in partnership with the university and the Jesuits of Maryland to fund scholarships for descendants a week after University President John J. DeGioia announced they would receive an edge in the university admissions process.

The group formed a foundation called GU272 to push the university to pursue a collaborative approach as it seeks to reconcile its history with slavery. Over 500 descendants support the foundation.

On Sept. 1, DeGioia announced that descendants of the 272 would be given the same consideration in admissions as legacies, and released a report — including a series of recommendations — by the Working Group on Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation as well as a series of other measures to begin reconciling Georgetown’s history with slavery.